Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-27
CHAPTER X.
SPECULATIONS.


start, five filters were brought up to the door
of the cave, each accompanied by four regu.
lar bearers and two spare hands, also band
4 of about fifty armed Amahngger, who wero
/ to form the escort and carry tho baggage.
| Three Of these filters of course were for US
and one for Billali, who, l was immensely
relieved to hear, was to be our companion,
while the fifth l presumed was for the use Of
| Ustane.
"Does the lady go with us, my fatheri" 1
asked OF Billali, as he stood experimenting
things generally.
He shrugged his shoulders as he nnswered;
sIf she wills. In this country the women do
what they please. We worship them and
give them their way, because without them
the world could not go on; they are the source
of life.p
"Ah,p l sail the matter never having
struck me in that light before.
ave worship them" he went on, "up to
certain point till ut last they get unbearable,
which," he added, "they do about every sec
ond generation"
"And then what do you dol" asked, with
curiosity.
"Then," he answered, with faint smile,
two rise, and kill the old ones as an example
to tho young ones, and to show them that we
are the strongest. My poor wife was killed
in that way three years ago. 1t was very
sad, but to tell the truth, my son, life has
been happier since, for my age protects me
from the young ones"
ain short" l replied, quoting the saying OF
q great man whose wisdom has not yet light
ened the darkness of the Amahagger, "thou
hast found thy position one of greater free
dom and less responsibility
This phrase puzzled him little at first from
its vagueness though think my translation
hit off its sense very well, but at last he saw
it, and appreciated it
ayes, yes, my Balloon" he said, II sec 1t
now; but all the responsibilities arel killed,
at least most of them are, and that is why
there are so few old women about just now.
Well they brought it on themselves. As for
this girl" he went on, in graver tone, III
know not whit to say. She is a brave girl,
and she loves the Lion Q.eo): thou sawest how
she chung to him. and saved his life. Also,
she is, according to our custom, wed to him,
and sho has right to go where he goes, I'M
less" he added, significantly, "She should
say her no, for her word overrides all
rights"
"And il She babe her leave him, and the
girl refusedl What thenln
"If," he said, with shrug, "the hurricane
bids the tree TO bend, and it will not, what
happensl'
| And then, without waiting for an answer,
he turned and walked to his litter, and in ten
minutes from that time we were oil well
under way.
1t took us an hour and more to cross tho
cup of the volcanic plain. and another half
hour or so to climb the edge on the further
side. Once there. however, the view was a
very fine one Before US was long, steep
slope of grassy plain, broken here and there
by clumps of trees mostly Of the thorn tribe.
At the bottom of the gentle slope, some nine
or ten miles away, we could make out dim
sea of marsh on which the foul vapors hung
! like smoke about city. IL was easy going
, for the bearers down the slopes, and by mid
! day we had reached the borders Of the dismal
I swamp. Here we halted TO eat our midday
meal, and then, following a winding and
/ devious path, plunged into the morass.
| Presently the path, at any rate to our unac'
/ customed eye, seemed to grow SO faint as to
be almost indistinguishnble from those made
by the aquatic beasts and birds, and 1t is to
this day a mystery TO me how our bearers
] found their way across the marshes. Ahead
of the cavalcadc marched two men with long
poles, which they now and again plunged
! into tho ground before them, the reason being
that the nature Of the soil frequently changed
! from causes with which am not acquainted,
so that places that would be safe enough to
cross one month would certainly swallow
the wayfarer the next Never did sec a
more dreary and depressing scene Miles on
miles of quagmire, varied only by bright
green strips OF comparatively solid ground,
and by deep and sunken pools fringed with
, tall rushes, in which tho bitterns doomed and
\ the frogs croalSed incessantly; miles on miles
of it without break, unless the fever fog can
be called break. The only life in this great
morass wns that of the aquatic birds and the
animals who fed ON them, of both of which
there were vast numbers. Geese, cranes,
! ducks, teal coot, snipe and plover swarmed
all around us, many being of varieties that
were quite new to me- and all so tame that
ono could almost have knocked them over
with stick. Among these birds especially
noticed very beautiful variety OF painted
snipe, almost the size Of woodcock, and with
n flight more resembling that bird than an
English snipo's. In tho pools, too, was a species
OF small alligator or enormous iguana, do
not know which, that fed, Billali told me,
upon the water fowl; also large quantities of
n hideous black water snake, OF which tho
bite Is very dangerous, though not, gath
cred, SO deadly as n cobra or puff adder.
/ The bull frogs were also very large, and with
voices proportionate to their size; and as for
the mosquitoes, they were, II possible, oven
worse than they had been on tho river, and
tormented us greatly. Undoubtedly, how
4 -. =. a II